More from Football

Man City defender Joleon Lescott has praised Marcos Lopes after helping guide them to the Capital One Cup final.

Last Updated: 21/01/14 11:27pm

West Ham host Manchester City in the second leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final.

The 18-year-old Portuguese starlet, nicknamed 'Ronaldo' by his team mates, put in a man-of-the-match performance during City's 3-0 semi-final second leg win over West Ham on Tuesday, which completed a 9-0 aggregate triumph.

Lescott, whose future at the Etihad Stadium remains unclear, believes Lopes has the potential to become a top-class player.

"It's not just his quality on the ball, it's his desire off the ball as well. You can see how hard he works," he told Sky Sports.

"We've known about him for a while, and is nicknamed 'Figo' and 'Ronaldo' around the club. He's got a very bright future."

Lopes has revealed his delight at City's performance over the two legs, and believes the abundance of quality in the squad has benefited his progress.

"I am very pleased to play this game. We put in a good performance and congratulations to all the team. I am very happy, of course, because we won and I helped the team," he said.

"It's easy to play with these players. It's very good for me in my development and I hope to keep training and playing alongside them."

With the prospect of facing Manchester United in the final, Lescott refused to get drawn in by the talk of a Manchester derby at Wembley.

"When you get to the final, there are no easy games. If Man United do get through, then we know it'll be a tough game as it's a derby," he said.

"But we'll there and that's the main thing."

The England international has been strongly linked with a move to the Hammers, with Lescott remaining tight-lipped about his future.

"Hopefully I'll be at the final, but it's still ongoing and you never know."